Onboarding New Hires: Three Ways to Streamline the Training Process
New hires could take up to a month to get fully adept and trained at work. But in cases of a pandemic when time is awfully scarce – not to mention the countless other things that demand our utmost attention – businesses won’t have the luxury to spend weeks just to onboard a person. Adding to the fact that we’re switching most of our operations remotely and online, a streamlined training process is needed more than ever to get new members up and running in the shortest time.
Customize Their Training with the Help of Prevue Skills
Hiring the right person who is skilled at everything is obviously the goal, but in reality, there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ candidate. Skills testing simulations recreate typical work environments that allow employers to grab a better picture of a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, thereby assisting them in developing a more fine-tuned itinerary for training.
Say, for example, you were assigned to train a new hire on creating a Word document. Hypothetically, the person is already familiar with most of the steps, except he doesn’t know how to insert an image or a shape. Knowing where your employees excel at, and what they need to improve on matters. And it’s not just about saving time and money, but to create the kind of experience that will leave them feeling confident and fulfilled.
Enhance the Learning Experience
Every individual is unique in the sense that we all learn and retain information differently. There’s also proven science behind how we learn better in some ways over another – that being visual, auditory, kinetic, reading, or writing. But regardless of the approach that we use, there is common ground between all types of learners when it comes to acquiring new knowledge and skills:
- People learn more effectively when there is an emotional connection and a sense of purpose
- They perform best when they have autonomy over how they learn
- They’ll likely repeat actions associated with rewards and recognition
It’s not uncommon for new hires to experience cold feet. Especially during this trial period, employees should feel like their time spent on training is enjoyable and valuable. Whether or not they stay depends on it.
Break the Barriers with a Strong Communication Tool
Remote onboarding is not the most ideal, but during inevitable times, there are simply no other ways of doing it except over video calls. Communication is hindered when you can no longer interact face-to-face. It is also challenging to provide immediate feedback, which to new members, is a very important step for learning and feeling comfortable. As the manager, knowing how to communicate and engage your team will make all the difference. If, for example, the person is task-oriented, clear and detailed instruction can act as an effective form of guidance.
Just like hiring, training is not a process to be rushed. Though the pandemic has limited our options in so many ways, with the right mindset and the right tools, it has also opened up new possibilities for a creative workplace. As the saying goes – work smarter, not harder.